Petrol and diesel models registered between these exact years are set to be among the “worst hit” by new car tax changes coming into effect in April. Shahzad Sheik, founder and presenter of YouTube channel @BrownCarGuy explained that modern classics registered between 2001 and 2017 cars would be massively affected by new Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) updates.
VED bills are set to rise on April 1, 2026, due to annual Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation rises, with almost all petrol, diesel and electric car owners affected. Most cars registered after 2017 will pay a standard VED fee that is set to rise to £200 from April.
Meanwhile, cars registered before 2001 face only small incremental rises with prices based on engine size. However, cars between 2001 and 2017 pay tax based solely on vehicle emission rates with some owners paying up to £790 every year to get behind the wheel.
Speaking on YouTube, Shahzad said: “These are the cars that arguably are treated harshest of all because they fit under a completely different VED regime, one based purely on official CO2 emissions figures from a time when nobody really imagined that those numbers would still matter quite this much.
“From April 2026 the top bands for these cars look like this, band L emitting between 226 and 255g/k now costs £760 per year, that’s up £25.
“Band M, emitting over 255/km now costs £790 per year, up £30. And yes that’s every year and it will probably keep going up every year as well.”
Cars under this system will pay a varying level of VED depending one mission rates, with increases going all the way down to band D. This covers cars emitting between 121 and 130g/km of CO2 face £5 rises with bills up from £125 to £130.
However, Shahzad stresses that fees for those in the higher bands are caught out with the costs possibly even “unfair”. He even suggested that officials may need to consider changing the system ahead of rises this Spring.
The motoring expert added: “This is a segment they really need to look at again. At the higher end these rates don’t just feel harsh, they feel deeply unfair.”